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Italian hospitality entrepreneur Giuseppe Cipriani has set a new opening target for the Hotel Casino San Rafael in Punta del Este after resolving a construction dispute with contractor CRIBA, with the luxury resort and casino now expected to open in October 2027 ahead of Uruguay’s 2027-28 summer season.
Cipriani met Uruguay President Yamandú Orsi in Montevideo this week to discuss the revived project, which is being built on the site of the former Hotel San Rafael. He said construction should be completed between April and May 2027, allowing several months for commissioning and operational preparation before the planned October launch.
The revised timetable follows a period of disruption that had stalled work at the site and led to hundreds of workers being placed on unemployment insurance. The agreement with CRIBA has restored construction activity, with approximately 400 people already back at work and a further 300 in training for roles at the future complex, according to Cipriani. Earlier reports put the number of affected construction workers at about 650.
The development represents a major investment in Punta del Este’s premium tourism and gaming offer. Grupo Cipriani has invested more than US$248m in the project, which combines a luxury hotel, residences, casino, food and beverage venues, and entertainment facilities.
Cipriani is not a conventional casino investor. The Italian businessman comes from the family behind the Cipriani hospitality brand, whose origins trace back to Harry’s Bar in Venice, opened in 1931 by his grandfather, Giuseppe Cipriani. The original venue became internationally known for its association with writers and film stars, as well as for the creation of the Bellini cocktail and carpaccio. The broader Cipriani name has since expanded across restaurants, private clubs, hotels and residential projects in major global cities.
That hospitality background is central to the Punta del Este proposition. Rather than developing a standalone gaming venue, Cipriani is positioning San Rafael as an integrated luxury resort intended to draw high-spending international visitors, residential buyers and seasonal guests alongside casino customers. While the main project moves toward its 2027 opening, the group is also considering a temporary casino at Locanda Punta del Este, its property at the former Hotel Mantra in Manantiales.
The proposal would allow Cipriani to maintain a gaming operation in the area while construction continues at San Rafael. The company has indicated it could invest between US$10m and US$12m in the interim facility. However, the project remains subject to approval by Uruguay’s national government, including agreement on how long any temporary gaming licence or operating arrangement would last. No authorisation has been announced.
Locanda already hosts Cipriani’s hospitality and luxury-gaming academy, where around 300 young people are receiving training linked to the future resort’s tourism and service operations. That gives the property a potential operational role beyond a short-term casino solution.
Maldonado Mayor Miguel Abella has said the municipal government does not control a potential authorization for a Locanda casino, stressing that the decision rests with the national authorities. He nonetheless welcomed the resumption of work at San Rafael and characterized the earlier disruption as a private-sector dispute rather than a failure of municipal or national permitting.
For Cipriani, the October 2027 deadline is now the key test. Delivering on schedule would restore momentum to one of Uruguay’s most high-profile luxury and gaming developments – and add a globally recognised hospitality name to Punta del Este’s evolving resort landscape.
